Juicing has become an increasingly popular way to get more nutrients into your diet. Drinking fresh vegetable and fruit juices provides vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial plant compounds in a quick and easy-to-digest form.
Celery is a common ingredient in many juice recipes. It contains vitamin K, folate, potassium, and over a dozen different antioxidants. However, celery is also quite fibrous and can be difficult to fully break down in some juicers.
So do you need a special type of juicer if you want to make celery juice? Let’s take a closer look at how celery juicing works and the best juicers for getting the most out of this healthy vegetable.
How Juicers Extract Liquid from Celery
There are a few main types of juicers, each with a different mechanism for separating the liquid from the pulp:
Centrifugal juicers
Centrifugal juicers are the most common and affordable type of juicer. They use a rapidly spinning blade to chop and shred produce, then spin it very fast in a basket to force the juice out through small holes in the basket.
The fast spinning separates most of the liquid from the pulp, but some pulp still gets through. Centrifugal juicers work best for softer, watery fruits and veggies.
Masticating juicers
Masticating or “cold press” juicers crush and press produce to squeeze out the juice. They operate at much slower speeds than centrifugal models. The auger grinds up the produce and presses it against a screen.
The slower speed allows these juicers to extract more juice. They also retain more nutrients compared to fast juicers. Masticating juicers handle fibrous vegetables like celery quite well.
Triturating juicers
Triturating juicers, also known as twin gear juicers, are a type of masticating juicer. They have two interlocking gears that grind and press the produce between them.
The very slow speed and force of triturating juicers allows them to extract the maximum amount of juice from produce. This style works especially well for greens and fibrous veggies.
Why Celery Juice is Challenging
What makes celery difficult to juice? A few key characteristics:
High fiber content
Celery contains a lot of insoluble fiber. This fibrous material consists mainly of cellulose and is very difficult to break down.
Too much fiber can clog up juicers and prevent an efficient extraction. It takes a powerful machine to properly process all that fiber.
High water content
Celery is about 95% water. This high moisture content makes it prone to quickly separating into a pulpy juice and watery liquid if not processed correctly.
Powerful, slower juicers are needed to properly extract the juice before the celery disintegrates into mush.
Stringy texture
The stringy nature of celery can cause it to get wrapped around certain juicer parts. This jams and clogs the machine.
Shredding blades and gears need to be designed to handle long stringy produce.
Best Juicers for Celery
Given the challenging characteristics of celery, what features should you look for in a celery juicer?
Slow masticating action
A masticating or triturating juicer that runs at 80-100 RPM is ideal for celery. The slower speed allows the celery fibers to be crushed and pressed efficiently.
Powerful motor
It takes significant force to break down celery’s fiber and extract the juice. Look for a motor of at least 1 to 2 horsepower.
Metal gears or auger
Sturdy metal internal parts can withstand the rigors of juicing fibrous celery. Plastic pieces may wear down faster.
Wide feed chute
A larger feed chute minimizes the need to chop celery into small pieces before juicing. This reduces prep work and stringiness issues.
Reverse function
The ability to run the juicer in reverse is useful if celery gets jammed or wrapped around internal parts. Reverse spins the gear the opposite way to dislodge stuck celery.
Based on these criteria, here are some of the best juicers for getting the most out of celery:
Top Juicers for Celery
1. Tribest Slowstar Vertical Slow Juicer
- Type: Masticating
- RPM: 47
- Power: 200 watts
- Feed chute: 3 inches wide
- Gears: Dual stainless steel
- Other features: Minigraphic screen, juice cap
This vertical masticating juicer efficiently handles celery with its duo stainless steel cutting gears. It runs at 47 RPM and has a 3 inch wide chute.
2. Omega NC900HDC Juicer Extractor
- Type: Masticating
- RPM: 80
- Power: 150 watts
- Feed chute: 1.5 inches wide
- Auger: GE Ultem
- Other features: Adjustable end cap, reverse function
The Omega NC900HDC is a powerful masticating juicer with a 1.5 inch wide chute. It has a reverse function to handle celery jams. The ULTEM auger is 8x stronger than most plastics.
3. Super Angel Pro Stainless Steel Juicer
- Type: Triturating
- RPM: 82
- Power: 200 watts
- Feed chute: 1.75 inches wide
- Gears: Stainless steel twin gears
- Other features: Automatic wiping system, reverse function
With stainless steel twin gears, this triturating juicer is extremely durable and efficient for celery juicing. It runs at 82 RPM and has reverse mode.
4. Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer
- Type: Masticating
- RPM: 80
- Power: 150 watts
- Feed chute: 1.5 inches wide
- Auger: ULTEM
- Other features: Reverse function, juice and pulp separators
The Aicok masticating juicer features a 1.5 inch wide chute, 150 watt motor, and reverse function. It has an ULTEM auger and is a great value celery juicer.
5. Hurom H-AA Slow Juicer
- Type: Masticating
- RPM: 43
- Power: 150 watts
- Feed chute: 1.75 inches wide
- Auger: ULTEM
- Other features: Fine and coarse strainers, reverse
Hurom’s H-AA juicer is a vertical masticating model with a 1.75 inch wide chute. It runs at 43 RPM and includes fine and coarse strainers.
Tips for Juicing Celery
Follow these tips to get the maximum amount of healthy, fiber-free celery juice from your juicer:
Cut into smaller pieces
Cut stalks into 2-3 inch chunks before juicing if your machine has a narrow feed chute. Smaller pieces feed through more easily.
Alternate celery with other produce
Alternate celery with softer, watery produce like cucumber. This helps clean the juicer between batches of fibrous celery.
Rinse parts during juicing
Rinse juicer parts like the strainer basket periodically if pulp is building up. This prevents clogging.
Run pulp back through
Run the leftover celery pulp back through the machine to extract any remaining juice.
Use the reverse function
If celery gets jammed or wrapped, use the reverse function to clear out your juicer.
Clean after use
Disassemble and thoroughly clean your juicer after each use. Celery fiber and pulp buildup can make later juicing difficult.
Conclusion
Celery’s high fiber content and stringy texture means you need a heavy duty juicer to make celery juice. The best juicers for celery are masticating and triturating models with powerful motors, metal parts, and reverse functions.
Slow speed masticating juicers like the Tribest Slowstar or Omega NC900HDC efficiently crush and press celery to extract the maximum amount of juice.
Triturating twin gear juicers take it a step further with their extremely slow crushing and grinding. The Super Angel Pro can get every last drop of juice from celery.
Using a juicer designed to handle celery’s challenging characteristics helps ensure you get the most out of this healthy and hydrating vegetable.
| Juicer | Type | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Tribest Slowstar | Masticating | Dual stainless steel gears, 3 inch chute |
| Omega NC900HDC | Masticating | Reverse function, ULTEM auger |
| Super Angel Pro | Triturating | Stainless steel twin gears |
| Aicok | Masticating | Reverse function, 1.5 inch chute |
| Hurom H-AA | Masticating | 1.75 inch chute, 43 RPM |
